Trust is A Weight

A poem

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Trust is a weight
Of paws on your legs
The purr on your lap
The loosening of tight muscles
And a head,
Peaceful,
Eyes closed
Steady breathing
Of sleep
The cat knows you are safe
You are warm
They can be at their most vulnerable
In your presence
And you are their bed.

Trust is a weight
Of tiny hands
Reaching up high
Lifting them 
Up
Up
Up 
Onto your hip
Their little legs
Happily hanging down 
How easily does the weight
Of a baby
Cuddling close to your chest
Give you goosebumps on your neck
As they breathe easy
Sleeping
Dreaming of another day
Filled with exploring
Eating
Biting
And snuggles
With mom. 

Trust is a weight
In the face of pain
Of the quiet child
The oldest
The one trying to be good and strong
And you're there to hold them close
Even if you can do nothing to make it better
You hold that big boy in your arms
And remember how it felt to be sunburned
And scratched by a sibling
How it hurts when the sunburn itches
So you let your shirt hold their tears
You talk softly
And pat their head
As you give them space to hurt
Knowing that you're right there with them. 
You witness their pain
And they don't run away or hide. 

Trust is a weight.
Of being handed something
Only you know how to fix. 
So you carry that
And your friend's fears
That something important to them
May be lost forever. 
They even give you the heavy load
Of tossing it if you fail,
Because they don't have the strength 
to do it themselves. 
It's a burden happily carried.
An honor bestowed
To you
Because they know
You'll do everything you can.

Trust is a weight
Of a head on your chest
The roaming hands
That try to find you 
Miles away 
On the other side of the bed.
Arms hugging you from behind
The hips, the knees, the feet,
All tangled together
Hearing their snores
And sharing their body heat
Under blankets 
In the dark.

Trust is a weight.
Of a hairbrush
A needle and thread
Bandaids and ointment
A steering wheel
A spoon or fork
The diaper bag
The medicine
The remote
The pen
The phone
The wipes
The bucket
The towel
The blanket
The cup
The cake
The gift
In your hands
That you’re asked to hold
And use
To aid, care, clean
Help, feed, comfort,
Celebrate
Those you love. 

Trust is a weight.
Precious. 
Fragile.
Not easily given or earned. 
Losing other's trust 
Isn't freedom from the weight.
Only a painful reminder 
Of how heavy
Your problems are
When there's nobody else 
To share the load.